Clothes hanger and carrier



April 28, 1959 J. D. HAMLIN CLOTHES HANGER AND CARRIER *3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 16 1955 INVENTOR JACK 0. HAMLIN tee 5 ATTORNEY A ril- 28, 1959 J. D. HAMLIN CLOTHES HANGER AND CARRIER Filed Nov. 16, 1955 I 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2

'INVENTOR JACK o. HAMLIN BY tie a dz April 28, 1959 J. Dr HAMLlN CLOTHES HANGER AND CARRIER;

s Sheet-Sheet :s

' Filed Nov. 16, 1955 INVENTOR- JACK o. HAMLIN "such as shown in the accompanying drawings.

United States Patent CLOTHES HANGER A-ND CARRIER Jack D. Hamlin, Gurdon, Ark.

Application November 16, 1955, Serial No. 547,080

13 Claims. (Cl. 223-95) The present invention relates to clothes hangers and carriers, and particularly to hangers and carriers for suits, trousers, slacks and the like. Conventional hangers require that trouser type garments be suspended in a single fold from a horizontal wire, rod, or bar connected between the lower ends of upwardly convergent supports designed to engage and properly hold the shoulders of a coat or jacket. Almost invariably, especially in the case of the common, universally used wire hanger, unless the trousers are removed promptly following return of the garments from the cleaners or pressers and hung by their ends from a separate clamp type hanger an unsightly wrinkle or crease forms at the line of fold, and cannot be removed except by additional pressing. The .prior art offers various types of hangers which avoid such objectionable wrinkling and creasing; one principle being the suspension of the trousers from the bottom rod of a coat hanger by prongs, fingers, or other elements associated with the bottom portion of the hanger and inserted upwardly in the cuffs in the space between the layer of each cuff and the portion of the trousers leg which underlies such layer. Typical examples are disclosed in U. S. Patents 2,205,489 to W. A. Nelson, and 2,501,167 to R. M. Frost. No disparagement of these patents is intended in the following observations, which are based upon personal experience in the development of the present invention.

Cleaners, pressers, and hotel valet service operators have for a long time felt the need of a cheap, efiicient suit hanger that will support trousers by suspension from their cuffs. The first and most important consideration is low, almost negligible, cost, and in this respect, so far as the coat hanger portion is concerned, there is no present substitute for the universally employed thin wire hanger, Such hangers, however, cannot suspend trousers from their cuffs; and if they be modified by bending or crimping the lower bar to provide cuff-insertible prongs, fingers or the like they are not only more costly but also are unserviceable because the fingers bend laterally outward under the weight of the trousers and allow them to fall off the hanger.

In like manner, cuif-insertible fingers or prongs bent from a sheet of cardboard folded to straddle and hang from the lower bar of a hanger soon give way under the weight of the trousers and allow them to 'fall off. A sheet of cardboard straddling the hanger bar and having at its depending ends infolded hooks, prongs,

open a space through which the cuff-inserted elements bend down and drop the trousers. Of course, if metal "or stiff, heavy material is used spreading of the sides and down bending of the cuff holding elements is less likely to occur, but the cost of such material is prohibitive.

it is known in 'the'prior 'art to hang trousers and the 2,884,170 Patented Apr. 28, 1959 like from the bottom bar of a wire coat hanger by clothespin clamps slidably mounted on the bar and engaging the trousers cufis. The employment of such clamps is an item of additional cost which the vast majority of those who dispense wire hangers as an incident of cleaning or pressing service are unwilling to assume. Furthermore, in such cases and in all cases where the trousers are carried by the bottom bar of a wire coat hanger, regardless of the means by which they are carried, the weight of the trousers exerts a constant bending force tending to bow the bar downwardly. In time, especially when garments are stored for long periods, this force pulls the lower ends of the shoulder supports towards each other so that they collapse sufficiently to allow a coat thereon to drop off the hanger.

An object of the present invention is to provide a clothes hanger comprised of a conventional, well known and universally used form of thin wire coat hanger housed within and supporting a readily applicable cover attachment of relatively thin, inexpensive, sheet cardboard formed to provide cuff-insertible means for suspending a trousers type garment by its cuffs free from any connection with the bottom bar of the wire hanger, with the weight of the garment borne evenly and entirely by the shoulder portions of the wire hanger which are braced at their lower ends by the bar.

Another object is to provide in the combination stated above means on the cover attachment adapted for interlocking engagement with the coat hanger to serve the double function of preventing lateral spreading of the cuif-insertible elements and at the same time to lock the cover attachment to the coat hanger so that it cannot accidentally separate therefrom.

Still another object is to provide a novel, inexpensive, trousers hanger adapted to straddle and hang from the shoulder part of a conventional wire coat hanger and having self-contained culf-insertible elements for suspending a pair of trousers therefrom.

A further object is to provide a suit, coat, or trousers hanger formed of inexpensive, relatively thin cardboard or the like which is capable of use as a hand carrier by itself, and which is adapted for application over and upon a conventional wire coat hanger or the like.

Other and incidental objects will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view, partly broken away, illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through only the trousers hanger, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 with the various flaps of the hanger in relatively open or laterally expanded position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the trousers hanger taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with the various flaps of the hanger in the closed position which they assume when secured against lateral spreading apart;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the trousers hanger of Figs. 1-3 is formed;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating an alternative form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the trousers hanger of Fig. 5 as laterally expanded, taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view through the trousers hanger in closed and locked position, taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the blank from which the trousers hanger of Figs. 5-7 is formed.

An important feature of the present invention is the use of relatively thin cardboard, preferably what is known 'in the trade as box paper, as the material of which the 2,884,170 I g s r trousers hanger portion of the assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 5 is made. This material is not sufficiently stiff, if constituted in the manner taught by the cited examples of the prior art, to hold up under the weight of suspended trousers. It could not be used in the assembly of either the Nelson or the Frost patent; in fact, it is not even sufficiently stiff for use in the present invention unless the cuff-holding inserts are secured against lateral spreading. An arrangement by which the cuff holding elements are secured against lateral separation is an important feature and an essential component of my invention. The thin cardboard employed in the present invention is inexpensive and adds but little to the almost negligible individual cost of a thin wire coat hanger to which it is applied.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-4 an oblong rectangular blank of the thin cardboard used, as in Fig. 4, is provided at substantially the intersection of its major and minor axes with a closed end slot of proper width and length on the minor axis to pass freely over the hook 11 of a thin wire coat hanger 12, as shown in Fig. 1. The maximum width of the blank, exclusive of a pair of oppositely directed lock tongues 13 at one end thereof, is somewhat greater than the front to back Width of a leg of any trousers type garment likely to be supported from the assembled hanger, but is substantially less than the width of a coat hanger as defined by the ends 14 of the shoulders 15 of the coat hanger and its horizontal bottom bar 16.

The blank is scored throughout its minor axis to provide transversely aligned lines of fold 17 in registry with the slot 10, and is further scored in fold lines 18 between each end of the slot and the adjacent side edge of the blank. The fold lines 18 are inclined at equal and opposite angles relative to the center fold lines 17 to define in conjunction therewith gusset areas constituted by the faces 19 of the blank lying therebetween. When the blank is doubled upon itself on its minor axis the gusset areas infold so that the body of the blank is adapted to house an associated coat hanger in conformity with the shape of its shoulder portion and to straddle the same with one of the folds 18 at each end of the hook passage slot 10 seated over and upon the underlying shoulder 15 of the hanger.

The blank is further scored with transverse fold lines 20, spaced laterally from its minor axis on each side thereof and parallel to the lines 17 and slot 10. These lines 20 extend the full width of the blank and are spaced from the slot a distance such that the bends which they define will lie parallel to and appreciably above the bottom bar of an associated wire coat hanger at opposite sides of the plane of the hanger. The areas of the blank circumscribed by the sides of slot 10 and the lines 18 and 20 constitute cover sections 21. Each line 20 cooperates with an additional and similar fold line 22 parallel thereto and spaced therefrom towards the adjacent end of the blank a distance suflicient to provide a cuff support section provided with an intermediate fold line 23. This fold line 23 is parallel to the lines 20 and 22 and in conjunction therewith defines a pair of outer flaps 23a and a pair of inner flaps 23b which are foldable upon themselves to constitute a two-ply cuff insert and holding means when the blank is properly folded and assembled on a coat hanger in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Each cuff support section is formed with a central rectangular aperture 230 extending between the fold lines 20 and 22 and of a width sulficient to provide ample clearance for the stitching by which cuffs are conventionally tacked to trousers legs at their seams.

In order to avoid crowding of material at the cuff ends each side edge of the blank is recessed at the ends of the insert flaps 23a and 23b between the fold lines 20 and 22; and to avoid bulging of the assembly the fold lines 23 are so located that the width of the outer flaps 23a is slightly less than the width of the inner flaps 23b. Parallel lines 24 of perforations are provided in the body of the blank a inwardly from the ends of the flaps 23a--23b and the edges of the apertures 23b so that, if desired, an appropriate amount of material may be removed for adjustments in the length of the flaps and in the size of the clear ance apertures.

A fold line 25 is scored in the blank outwardly from each fold line 22 parallel thereto across the full width of the blank and spaced from the line 22 a distance greater than the width of the adjacent cufi flap 23a but substantially less than the combined widths of the flaps 23a and 2311 when flattened out, whereby to provide cover sections 26 that overlie the doubled cuff flaps between the flaps and the cover sections 21 when the blank is folded in service position. The remainder of the blank at each end outwardly from the adjacent fold line 25 constitutes an outer cuff cover section 27 of a width approximately twice the width of the adjacent section 26. The cover section 27 oppositethat which carries the lock tongues 13 is provided with slots 28 for interlocking engagement with the tongues in a conventional manner. Score lines 29 are provided in the tongues to facilitate bending.

When a blank as shown in Fig. 4 is to be placed in service it is first folded loosely. To effect this the cuff insert flaps are doubled upon themselves with the flaps 23a folded inwardly over and upon the flaps 23b and with sections 26 overlying both so that the fold lines 22 lie close to but slightly to the outer side of the fold lines 20. The sections 2627 are then infolded as a unit on the line 22 over the sections 21, after which the doubled thickness of the cuff insert flaps is folded in on the line 20 and down over the reverse face of the section 26. Each end section 27 is then folded outwardly on the line 25 to overlie and cover fully the doubled cuff insert flaps. Next the center sections 21 are elevated with respect to the plane of the blank and folded on the axis :of the slot 10 with their reverse faces in opposition. The gusset portions are then collapsed to bring the obverse faces of the areas 19 together in opposition and the folded blank is ready to receive a pair of trousers or the like. At this stage the folded blank, when held vertically, assumes substantially the configuration shown in Fig. 2, and is conditioned for application over a conventional thin wire coat hanger in a manner such that it straddles the hanger as shown in Fig. 1, and is suspended thereon entirely from the coat hanger shoulders 15 which engage beneath a pair of the folds 18.

By lifting the end sections 27 the cuflf-insertible ele ments comprising the double thickness flaps 23a23b are readily accessible for insertion upwardly in the cuffs of a pair of trousers or the like in the space between the inside portions of the cuff and that portion of the trousers leg which underlies the cuff. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that when the legs 30 of a pair of trousers are applied in this manner, with the supporting flaps 23a23b inserted beneath the inside portions 31 of the cuffs, the inside portions are housed between the stiffened insert flaps and the adjacent sections 26 and the outside portions 32 of the cuffs are housed between the insert flaps and the cover sections 27. In this form of the invention both portions of each cuff are entirely covered by the overlying sections 26 and 27 and thus are unexposed at the outside and are protected at the inside against direct contact with any part of the wire coat hanger.

After the cuffs are properly engaged by the insert flaps the whole assembly is pressed together laterally from the sides and the tongues 13 on one of the sections 27 are passed through the ends 14 of the coat hanger and are interlocked with the keeper slots 28 in the other of the sections 27 at the opposite side of the coat hanger. By this means the entire assembly is locked against the possibility of lateral spreading apart under the pull of the trousers hanging from their cuffs on the inserts 23a-23b, and at the same time the entire trousers hanger attachment is locked to the wire coat hanger so that it cannot become separated therefrom. The wire coat hanger and the cardboard cover and trousers hanger are secured to j'jg'ether as a unit.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. -8 the thin cardboard blank illustrated in Fig. 8 is generally simi- .lar to the blank of Fig. 4, having the same arrangement of a slot 10 on its minor axis; gusset portions comprised (by the fold lines 17' and 18' and the areas 19'; fold lines 20, and sections 21'.

The locking tongues 13 with their fold lines 29' are carried by one of the sections 21' "for engagement with the keeper slots 28' in the other 'section. Outwardly from each fold line 20' the body of "the 'blank is reduced in width to a depth corresponding to the depth of the recesses in the side edges of the blank in'Fig. 4, .and for the same purpose. These reduced portions comprise end sections divided by a line of fold 33 into an outer portion 33a and an inner portion 3312 which correspond in function to the flaps 23a and 23b, respectively, of the blank in Fig. 4; that is, they constitute cuffinser'tible supports when folded as in Fig. 6. Clearance apertures 33c corresponding to the apertures 230 in Fig. 4

"extend from the center of the fold line 33 into their respective end section portions 33a and 33b, and the blank "is similarly provided with lines of perforations 24' for material removal to effect adjustments.

In this form of the invention the outer end portions 33a are of substantially greater width lengthwise of the blank than the inner portions 332:.

When a blank as shown in Fig. 8 is to be placed in 33b. Next the center sections 21' are elevated relative to the plane of the blank and folded on the axis of the "slot 10' with their reverse faces in opposition.

The gusset portions are then collapsed to bring the obverse facesof the areas 19 together in'opposition, and the folded blank is ready to receive a pair of trousers or the like. At this stage the folded blank, when held vertically, assumes substantially the configuration shown in Fig. 6, and is conditioned for application over the hook 11 of .a conventional thin wire coat hanger 12' as shown in ,Fig. '5.

Upon spreading apart the cover sections 21' the cuffv insertible elements comprising the double thickness of the portions 33a and 33b are readily accessible for in- "sertion upwardly in the cuifs of a pair of trousers or the like in the space between the outside portions of the cuff and that portion of the trousers leg which underlies the 'cutf. By reference to Fig. 5 it will be seen that when "the legs30' of a pair of trousers are applied in this manner, with the supporting inserts 33a33b inserted beneath the outside portions 32' of the cuffs, these outside portions of the cuffs are housed inside and protected by the overlying cover sections 21'.

After the cuffs are properly mounted on the inserts the whole assembly is pressed together laterally from the sides and the tongues 13 on one cover section 21' are passed through the ends 14 of the wire coat hanger and are interlocked with the keeper slots 28' in the other cover section at the opposite side of the hanger. The entire assembly thus is locked against the possibility of lateral spreading apart under the pull of the trousers, and at the same time the entire trousers hanger attachment is locked to the wire coat hanger.

The particular description herein concerning the manner of folding the blanks is for purposes of illustration only, and is not restrictive. It is obvious that the procedure may be varied as desired. Also, although the locking tongues are shown as being integral with the body of the blank, it is within the purview of the invention and intended that the tongues may be formed separate from the blank and attached thereto by adhesive or any other suitable means.

It is a feature of the present invention that the cardboard attachment itself is serviceable as a complete suit carrier and may be used alone for the transportationo'f either a complete suit, a coat, or a pair of trousers only, simply by grasping the large cover sections at the top on both sides of the slot. So long as the locking tongues are interlocked with their keeper slots the assembly cannot spread apart.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invent-ion and appended claims.

I claim:

'1. A clothes carrier comprising, a sheet of cardboard or the like constituted as a pair of depending sections hinged together at their tops, a trousers culf-insertible support on each section and extending upwardly alongside the same, and means on one section detachably interengageable with means on the other section for securing all said sections and cuff-insertible supports mutually together against lateral separation under the weight of a pair of trousers when suspended by its cufis from said supports.

2. A clothes carrier comprising, a pair of hinged depending sections, a trousers cuff-insertible support hinged to each section and extending upwardly substantially parallel thereto, and means on one section detachably interengageable with means on the other section for securing all said sections and supports mutually together against lateral separation under the weight of a pair of trousers when suspended by its cuffs from said supports.

3. A clothes carrier comprising, a sheet of cardboard or the like constituted as a pair of side sections in the approximate outline of a coat hanger shoulder portion, a cuff-insertible support on each section, and means on one section detachably interengageable with means on the other section for binding all said sections and supports mutually together against lateral separation under the weight of a pair of trousers when suspended by its cuffs from said supports.

4. A clothes carrier comprising, a sheet of cardboard or the like constituted as a cover adapted for application over and support by the shoulders of a coat hanger, said cover including depending opposite side sections, upstanding trousers cuff-insertible supports integral with the side sections, and means on one section detachably interengageable with means on the other section for bonding all said side sections and the cuff supports mutually together against lateral separation under the weight of trousers when suspended by the cuffs from the cuff supports.

5. A carrier as in claim 4, and said cuflf-insertible supports each consisting of a section of the sheet doubled upon itself intermediate the lower edge of its side section and the adjacent end of the sheet.

6. In combination with the carrier of claim 4, a coat hanger housed within the carrier with the shoulders of the hanger engaging and supporting the carrier.

7. The structure of claim 6, said binding means including a portion having cooperative interengagement with the hanger to prevent separation of the carrier from the hanger.

8. A clothes carrier comprising, a sheet of relatively thin cardboard or the like constituted as a pair of depending sections hinged together at the mid portion of their top edges and having a collapsed gusset between said mid portion and each side edge providing coat shoulder supports, a trousers cuif-insertible support integral with the bottom edge of each section and disposed upwardly substantially parallel thereto, and means on one section, detachably interengageable with means on the other section to secure all of said sections and cufiinsertible supports mutually together against lateral separation under the weight of a pair of trousers when suspended by its cuffs from said cufl-insertible supports.

9. In combination with the carrier of claim 8, a coat hanger including shoulders and a bottom bar connecting the shoulders, said carrier depending from and supported entirely by the coat hanger shoulders, and said securing means having a portion disposed through the coat hanger between its shoulders and bottom bar.

10. A blank for a clothes carrier comprising, an oblong substantially rectangular sheet of cardboard or the like having at substantially its center an opening to accommodate passage of a coat hanger hook, a gusset hinge in the sheet between said opening and each side edge of the sheet, a plurality of fold lines in parallel spaced relation in the sheet transversely between its side edges at opposite sides of said opening and the gusset hinges, the areas of the sheet between the gusset hinges and the innermost fold line at each side of the hinges constituting depending side sections when the sheet is folded on itself at the gusset hinges and disposed vertically, portions of the sheet outwardly from each said innermost fold line being foldable upon themselves along another of the fold lines to provide a thickened trousers cutf-insertible support, each support being foldable as a unit on the adjacent one of said innermost fold lines to extend substantially parallel to the adjacent one of said side sections, said gusset hinges being adapted to seat over and upon the shoulders of a coat hanger when associated therewith, and said sheet having thereon means for holding the side sections and cuii-insertible supports tightly together in substantially parallel relation when they are in folded position.

11. A blank for a clothes carrier comprising, an oblong substantially rectangular sheet of cardboard or the like having at substantially its center an opening to accommodate passage of a coat hanger hook, a gusset hinge in the sheet between said opening and each side edge of the sheet, a plurality of fold lines in parallel spaced relation in the sheet transversely between its side edges at opposite sides of said opening and the gusset hinges, the areas of the sheet between the gusset hinges and the innermost fold line at each side of the hinges constituting depending side sections when the sheet is folded on itself at the gusset hinges and disposed vertically, portions of the sheet outwardly from each said innermost fold line being foldable upon themselves along another of the fold lines to provide a thickened trousers cutt-insertible support, each support being foldable as s a unit. on the adjacent one of said innermost fold lines to extend substantially parallel to the adjacent one (if said side sections, said gusset hinges being adapted to seat over and upon the shoulders of a coat hanger when. associated therewith.

12. A clothes carrier comprising, a sheet of cardboard or the like constituted as a cover adapted for application over and support by the shoulders of a coat hanger, said cover including depending opposite side sections, upstanding trousers cufi-insertible supports integral with the side sections, means for binding all said side sections and the cuff supports mutually together against lateral separation under the weight of trousers when suspended 'by the cuffs from the cuff supports, said cuffinsertible supports each consisting of a section of the sheet doubled upon itself intermediate the lower edge of its side section and the adjacent end of the sheet, and said adjacent end of the sheet being integral with the cufi-insertible support and composed of twosections in mutually foldable relation adapted to overlie and. cover both sides of said support when all said supports and sections are held together by said binding means. i

13. A clothes carrier comprising, a sheet of cardboard or the like constituted as a cover adapted for application over and support by the shoulders of a coat hanger, said cover including depending opposite side sections, upstanding trousers cutf-insertible supports integral with the side sections, means for binding all said side sections and the cufl? supports mutually together against lateral separation under the weight of trousers when suspended by the cuffs from the cuff supports, said cufi-insertible supports each consisting of a section of the sheet doubled upon itself intermediate the lower edge of its side section and the adjacent end of the sheet, and said adjacent end of the sheet being integral with the cuflF-insertible support and extending therefrom beneath and substantially parallel to the lower end of the associated side section when all said supports and sections are held together by said binding means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,749,238 Wordingham Mar. 4, 1930 2,205,489 Nelson June 25, 1940 2,344,604 DeGray Mar. 21, 1944 2,456,014 Neaves Dec. 14, 1948 2,617,565 Suydam Nov. 11, 1952 2,649,229 Sutter Aug. 18, 1953 2,701,084 Koch Feb. 1, 1955 2,750,087 Antal June 12, 1956 2,769, Lee -.---,-,E-,- v- 6. 1.956 

